The 50 shades of journalism, all black in color
In their pursuit of breaking news, they have broken truth. In order to garner more eyeballs, they have lost vision. And, to become profitable, they have lost their souls. Their job was to protect democracy, but they ended up selling all the pillars. Hatred is their choice of weapon. You know them as journalists. Journalism, in India and elsewhere, has 50 shades, all black in color. Here, we tell you with examples.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert
When I decided to write this piece, I was acutely aware of the 'punga' I was taking head-on with the biggies. That is what we call occupational hazard. Someone had to call their bluff, today it is me. Let the trolling begin- from my side and yours.
The unethical case of Karan Thapar
Karan 'bowtie' Thapar, to me, is a posterboy of access journalism. When you have access to biggies, you interview them (in strange accent), pretend to grill them and get prime time slot. When the access goes away, you forget the basics of journalism, lie shamelessly, talk loudly about 'off the record' conversation and write a book. 'Ethics gaye tel lene' (Translation for Karan: Ethics have gone for a toss).
The abuses of Barkha Dutt
According to her Twitter bio, Barkha Dutt is 'yaaron ka yaar'. Ask an average Twitter user (or even her ex-employer), she is anything but that. Without doubt, some of them are nasty, but so is she. I am not getting into her shoddy journalism practices, her association with Radia Tapes, her sympathy toward terrorists. What irks me though is her megalomania. By choosing journalism, she didn't do anyone a favor. Will someone tell her, please?
The 'fist fighting' spirit of Rajdeep Sardesai
If you are a TV anchor for that long, the least you can do is to keep a poker face when the party you are supporting does not win elections. But, Rajdeep Sardesai can't do that. Also, if you are a responsible citizen (for that long), the least you can do is not fight on the streets of New York. But, Mr. Sardesai can't control his 'fist fighting' spirit. Ouch!
The 'right-ness' of Arnab Goswami
If you ignore Arnab Goswami's loudness and eccentricities, there is nothing drastically wrong with him. He questions the corrupt practices of Congress leaders, calls out bluff of Lutyens' media, does not have sympathy toward Pakistan. But, that was 2014. Cut to now. He is still questioning the Congress leaders. That the ruling government is not of Congress, he doesn't seem to understand that. Your 'right-ness', Mr. Goswami, is not what nation wants to know.
The inhumane act he calls 'photojournalism'
Picture this: An Italian journalist comes to India, stages images of poor Indian kids before fake Western food, asks them to close their eyes and dream about food. And posts them on Instagram. He wanted to highlight how much food gets wasted in the West, while using innocent, half-naked kids as props! He calls it 'photojournalism', I call it 'inhumane'. Potato, potahto?
What will happen to journalism?
The mainstream media is seeing a slow, painful and well-deserved death. Can you remember the last time any of these 'eminent' journalists did an investigative piece? Forget that, can you even remember the last time they didn't show us their biases? You can put the best technology in place, but fake news won't be controlled. Because the peddlers of fake news sit on our TV screens. Thankfully, not on prime time anymore.
